When thinking about recycling within the automotive industry, it’s perhaps metal that springs to mind – and quite rightly. However, what about the other component parts of a vehicle, such as the plastic, glass, and fabric that’s also key in the composition?

A well-known, global automotive interior parts supplier – with a rich 30-year heritage within the industry – has been working with UNTHA UK for five years, to tackle the car carpet ‘waste’ that’s produced during its manufacturing process.

The firm’s UK plant, based in the North of England, has invested in six machines – comprising both new and used – to process the two tonnes per day of carpet waste that is left after the trimming process.

With three new RS30 machines and three used RS30s, the organisation is not only benefitting both financially – from a cost reduction in waste disposal costs – but also environmentally by achieving zero waste to landfill.

Once the acoustic material has been shredded, the end result is a 40mm particle size that is sent for re-processing and is then re-used for flooring at horse tracks and arenas.

This has enabled the firm to move its operations up the Waste Hierarchy model – diverting valuable resource from being landfilled and facilitating its reuse.

In terms of why the business keeps coming back to UNTHA UK, the firm’s engineering manager – who has remained anonymous due to company protocol – said:

“With six shredders now on our roster, we trust UNTHA as we know they are reliable, and their solutions are of an extremely high quality.

“With our latest RS30 purchase, we opted for a used model, as we already knew what we wanted. It also meant we were able to get the high-performing equipment at the heart of our operation even quicker.”

When it comes to the automotive industry, it’s important that a sustainable and closed loop model is implemented, so that the maximum resource potential from each component part can be achieved.

Here at UNTHA UK, we’re extremely proud to be working with pioneering organisations within the sector to help them reach a more circular manufacturing waste management strategy.